They changed it in VIIR, but i don't think it was well received. Didn't try it myself to form an opinion on it, as i only played the original MegaNep, which has an upgraded System of the Re;Birth games.
But yeah, i love the Freedom this battle system gives you. To move around and do combos and stuff.
I think it was suppossed to be more funny xD
But for someone as normal and no-nonsense type as IF, Nepko's Randomness can be hard to deal with
Yeah, IF is really really frail. I do remember her dying 24/7 in my playthroughs as well.
Yes. Sony doesn't like Fanservice. They've been censoring games left and right. Even DMC5 got hit.